In October this year (2015) I was approached by Revision Path, a weekly interview show that focuses on showcasing some of the best Black graphic designers, web designers and developers from all over the world.

I had the pleasure of having an in depth conversation with Maurice Cherry who took me way back to the begging stages of discovering tech! Each week Revision Path explore the stories, processes, experiences, insights, and creative inspirations of creators.

Revision Path stated

“Marsha Mothersill wears a lot of hats — Web Developer, Business Owner, Project Manager — and she loves it! Marsha comes from a family of entrepreneurs, and she has a real knack for web development and solving big problems. We talked about the design work she’s done around London, how and why she took the leap into starting her own business, her love for automobiles, and the advocacy work she does for Sickle Cell Anaemia awareness. It’s a really great interview, and Marsha is a true inspiration.”

The Interview

I was honoured to do this interview as I’ve followed Revision Path and listened to great interviews over the last few years from the most inspirational people in the industry worldwide.

Get comfy, grab a hot chocolate and listen to my interview: www.revisionpath.com/marsha-mothersill/ I’ve got so much feedback already but would love to hear your thoughts, questions or just a general chat @marsha_mm on Twitter or see the contact page for more details.

More on Revision Path

Revision Path was created in December 2012 from entrepreneur and web designer Maurice Cherry and launched officially on February 28, 2013. The first interview was published on March 23, 2013.

In April 2013, Revision Path switched to a weekly format, with audio and text interviews publishing every Monday at 10am ET.

Maurice Cherry is the editor-in-chief of Revision Path, host of the Revision Path podcast.

For more podcasts like mine, check out revisionpath.com and if you wish, subscribe to their podcasts with your Podcast app to get weekly Interviews.

Thanks to Maurice and the team at Revision Path for approaching me, I really had fun with this interview as you can tell from the giggles. I would love to hear your thoughts, questions or just a general chat @marsha_mm or see the contact page for more details.

I was invited to Google on Friday for a visit. The building and interior alone blew me away. I respected the no pictures policy and snapped a few of my goodies after. The interior to me represented visual creative inspiration as I entered Google’s world.

I briefly learnt about what Google may have in store for us. AI and Nano technology being the future of what we could become and what technology could do for us. Yes the future of tech is exciting but also quite scary too, things you only see in films.

In the office were Vpods named after plants in alphabetical order. Here Googler’s could hold meetings, work solo or just take time out. As per Facebook, Google utilizes standing desks, a lot of game areas and drinks and snacks at your leisure. I wasn’t surprised to find Nerf guns laying around the Collaboration Booths and could only imagine the fun that could be had in this office, if I wasn’t on a tour I’d definitely get lost here.

Google offers 3 free gourmet meals per day, I was tempted with a smoothie ice pop on my arrival to the large cafeteria.

Google has a massage area and large fitness center with food and drink at your leisure. Sleeping pods that were very futuristic looking and games you can control with your eyes.

As you enter Lala Library, I am greeted by a white sofa and a long fringe curtain, stunning. At Google, you can sign up to learn anything you please including to be taught by another Googler. Internal resources and education is an amazing idea for self development, you could learn a new language or programming language, the choice is yours. I found the Googler’s I had met were extremely cross functional just like me. With extremely motivated, talented and intelligent people around, how can one not prosper and grow within this environment?

Upon saying my goodbye’s I was given a Google Cardboard Virtual Reality viewing glasses and tested this on my way home, (not whilst driving of course). Check these out, at www.google.com/cardboard I felt like an 80’s kid again.

After music and meet and greets in the Cafeteria, I left Google feeling inspired, motivated and most of all driven. The possibilities at Google are amazing not just for new technology but for the person you could become within a prosperous work environment. From Grow Your Own Veg spots to Yoda Wall Origami, Google will never fail to surprise me. Until we meet again.

Happy 17th birthday for yesterday Google! More info about Google’s culture can be found here. Follow me at @marsha_mm to keep updated on the latest projects and posts.

]]>http://www.marshamothersill.com/google-visit/feed/0Asos.comhttp://www.marshamothersill.com/asosprojects/
http://www.marshamothersill.com/asosprojects/#respondWed, 03 Dec 2014 13:00:10 +0000http://www.marshamothersill.com/?p=336Read More]]>Asos.com global online fashion store with over 60,000 product lines across womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, jewellery and beauty. Being the heart of the fashion revolution, ASOS has won many awards and aims to be the world’s number one fashion destination for twenty-somethings.

Below: Asos Russia Womens Landing Page 2013

Development

Joining the Creative Marketing team in 2011 as a Junior Web Developer on Womenswear & Menswear, UK & International Email Newsletters and site content were my main focus. Interest Mailers, Homepages, Landing Pages, CMS Operations, Site Refreshes, Press Day Emails, Bespoke and Sale hubs, Text and Deep Headers were my focus before I completed this junior role.

Below: Sale Hub 2013 and Landing Page.

Within my first year at ASOS, I introduced a new Project Management tool for the Creative Department which improved the way the department managed projects and communication. It was highly favoured by the Creative Marketing Director and went on to be used for the next three years in the Creative Department, handled across 150 people and is currently in use by the company to this day.

In my second year at ASOS, I mentored the CEO’s family friend in Development, she came in on an Internship and shadowed me within her time at ASOS. I also was a part of the QR code campaign for ‘Save The Date’ invites for 17,000 people by PR.

Below: ASOS Trend Guide SS14 Trend Guide

Which I then got promoted in 2014 as a Mid Weight Web Developer within Creative Developers Marketing team. Going from strength to strength I went from developing email newsletters to Microsites, Sale Outlet Hubs, SS14 Trend Guide and Responsive Promo pages during peak which required sale time dedication and tight deadlines. As a mid-weight I was able to train Juniors that joined the company.

Whilst being involved in new site territory launches such as Australia, Italy, Spain and China, I also worked on Updates for iPad & iPhone app, mobile and Facebook.

Vocabdance.co.uk is officially my first freelance collaboration with a Designer and Developer. As a developer on this project, I also Project Managed the development process and mentored a friend who went on to a position in the industry as a Jr Web Developer. This international collaboration being my largest and most challenging project yet was definitely a push in the creative skills and Project Management direction. Working with the designer and consulting as Creative Technologist on the possibilities of the web was important to make the Development side come together.

Vocab

Vocab Dance Company founded in London in 2007 was created with the vision of fusing African traditional dance with contemporary dance and urban dance forms to distinctly create Afro-pean dance theatre from a feminine perspective. Vocab is recognised internationally and is progressively emerging as a strong element within the dance scene.

Distinctively theatrical choreographic and movement vocabulary combining physical theatre, innovative scenography, text and dance. VDC is an associate company at East London Dance and is supported by ADAD (Association of Dance from the African Diaspora).

Design

Development

Myself and Cherrelle Morales developed the website from PSD to HTML and CMS WordPress. I also consulted as Creative Technologist on the possibilities of the web with the designer to make the Development process come together.

One word, wow!

The Gadget Show Live team definitely know how to put on a show. I was thoroughly entertained. The exhibit and show was held in Birmingham at The NEC. It was packed as we entered a busy vibe so we took our coats off to prepare for the large hall.

Exhibit Hall

The exhibit hall was the same as Olympia London where The Ideal Home exhibition is held. Picture hundreds of stands in the exhibit hall with all the latest technology from commercial tech companies. Everything and anything!

Top Gear, VW, Samsung, and Kenwood caught my eye, I was completely gassed over the CAS stand! (Thanks for the heads up PhybaOptikz). I was stuttering and all I heard was, “Say no more, I understand”. If you know me well, you have probably experienced my passion for cars. The black R8 with the Rotiform rims was the first car I spotted here.

The black R8 with the Rotiform rims

After circling the red rope I moved on to the white Scirocco with the red leather interior, BBS LM 19″ rims. The boot was talking, as you can see below.

The white Scirocco with the red leather interior and BBS LM 19″ rims.

Next, over to Kenwood’s stand. My jaw dropped, stunning deep Matt Grey vinyl finish on another Scirocco with red leather interior and Kenwood speakers. The noise from this car had my attention; it had ridiculous individual controls in the arm rest compartment for each speaker. The boot door alone had its own set and inside, I won’t get started on car specs but we kept going back to this stand over and over, GSL definitely had good taste in cars.

The wheels on this car were incredible! Powder coated in a textured black finish, again it’s Rotiform BLQ.

A clip my friend took viewing the Scirocco:

Volkswagen ‘Up’ experience

Another highlight of the exhibit section was a VW test drive of the ‘Up!’ experience car. Automatic emergency breaks to prevent minor traffic accidents when the car is at 19mph or below. So in traffic and you got a Soft Mint out of the Glove, those moments. Great concept, not my thing but cute for a first car. So we headed for a life sized poster of the back of a car. I asked the lady on the front desk if the car stalls in order to apply the emergency braking system… she said “no”…… If you get a chance check some of the other reactions on VW’s YouTube page, some had me in stitches! Especially the men who were screaming or had their eyes closed! Video quality is poor but you get the drift.

Live Show – Super Theatre

Entered the Super Theatre, everything was super about it. This place was huge! The presenters put on a show and they had us playing a game and dancing in front of a massive Kinect type device. Great way to warm us up as we caught too much joke!

Left, The latest Numark Serato, top centre, Asus Transformer Prime Tablet, Top Gear simulator, right, Super Theatre for the live show; fire explosions and all sorts.

Clips

My highlights were (L-R in the videos below) the Festo Bird, Neuro cats ears that read your brain waves. The ears go up when you’re excited and down when relaxed. Suzie Perry had a lot of fun with that in the crowd. Robo Savy, Audience Helicopter Challenge, the opening of the show, and addictive.tv‘s live mix of the show.

These videos were found on YouTube, bare with, they get better but skip through to save time.

Wrap it up

Before we left, we joined the PC world crew for a little dance off on the Kinect where they played Dance Central 2. There were a lot of other great aspects such as Augmented Reality, 50 Cent attending and releasing his SMS headphones (review), Ortis and the Renault Twizy but the above was defiantly my highlights of the event not forgetting the great people that joined me where we giggled until our bellies hurt!

Me and the boys, Bring on #GSL 2013!

A few more highlights below!

Quad Bike CrewTop left, white custom made alloys costing 6 grand each, bottom left, Robo Savy, top right, mind control games, bottom right, a dress made out of network cablesRally car – Subaru Impreza with subs for a back seat.Apologies for the media quality, trying to fit in everything in a day was crazy! It’s a big one and I appreciate your eyes, discussion, questions welcome.

GSL reminded me of the days my dad and I used to go to the car show in ExCel and fix cars until it was time to sleep. Some of the best days of my life!

Having Sickle means you never know where you will be in the next hour. One moment your at work, having fun with friends or in a deep sleep and the next your in the back of an ambulance on your way to hospital!

I feel there is so much to accomplish when I’m well therefore not wanting to waste a moment. When you have something like your time taken away from you, it reminds you of your privileges and how blessed you are. So when I have missed 48 hours or a few weeks of my life I am always thankful for when I can get back to being me. Not wanting to miss a moment, spontaneity is sometimes key. When plans flop it can be heart wrenching like when I had to miss the first few days of a holiday when my sister moved to America for 8 months. Where possible, I always try to make daily events spontaneous so that they are most enjoyable and they happen, avoiding some disappointments. I adore the moments of picking up the phone and arranging something for right now.

Close friends and family will understand when I say I metaphorically live in an Entonox bubble daily. Never loose your passion, do what makes you happy as you never know what could happen. It all starts with a dream, don’t leave it too long, every day is another opportunity to reach your goal.

Happiness is your property #ownIt

]]>http://www.marshamothersill.com/happiness-is-your-property-ownit/feed/0Creating Youhttp://www.marshamothersill.com/creating-you/
http://www.marshamothersill.com/creating-you/#respondMon, 23 Jan 2012 08:45:03 +0000http://www.marshamothersill.com/?p=637Read More]]>Have you ever completely had the ability to be you in any and every situation?

I don’t think anyone knows completely who they are and life is a discovery of self. I know a lot of people that are extremely shy which reminds me of me before I found my voice. I was the type of child to be loud at home but put me with someone I didn’t know and I would stay silent when they would ask me questions. I would warm up to people but not anyone that was too forward.

Currently, I love meeting new people and attacking that initial award moment. I feel that if the ice is broken with them then I feel comfortable around them, although this doesn’t happen in every situation. As easy as it may sound, I wasn’t able to talk to everyone but now that’s all changed. I find myself wanting to meet new people all the time but I choose the social events I wish to be in.

I was asked why I do this, simply, for me. So when I tweet things like, “Celebrate uniqueness and individuality with no arrogance, no competition and no comparison #BeYou“, it relates to posts like this where I can look back and remember things I have thought about and cared to write about. Sharing some of it means a lot to me especially when I can read about others’ experiences of the same situations/topics.

I love introducing people to my world but no one knows it completely. Personally, I like to keep “some for me”. As selfish as that may sound, I will probably only give my all to that one person. I was spending time with my Gran whilst I was unwell and she would only tell us parts of the story of how she met my Grandad, an amazing story at that. Some may think it’s me protecting my heart, and some just me being secretive but this is what I feel will allow me to create me, to have my own private party.

India Irie – Private Party

]]>http://www.marshamothersill.com/creating-you/feed/0Don’t be shy, be sure #lifeSkillshttp://www.marshamothersill.com/dont-be-shy-be-sure-lifeskills/
http://www.marshamothersill.com/dont-be-shy-be-sure-lifeskills/#respondFri, 20 Jan 2012 08:45:22 +0000http://www.marshamothersill.com/?p=338Read More]]>There’s more than what meets the eye about this post. At different stages of your life you may feel overly confident or blissfully ignorant. Sometimes we think, ‘Hey, I will feel happier not knowing’ or almost pretending not to know. I personally think it is better to show your ignorance to something and learn than not and risk messing things up for yourself and others.

I ask a lot of questions, sometimes blatantly obvious and other times it saves lives (development and my own). I happen to sometimes be the person that discovers the mistakes at 5.30pm just before I set off for home. I physically cannot concentrate [Virgo] until these problems are resolved. I would rather stay and sort the problem than go home and dwell on it. Generally from my observational experience within previous work, females tend to think things through and weigh out the risks of necessity vs. consequence’s. Males tend to be more willing to take risks. I have seen good and bad cases of both and a balance seems the perfect combination. Within business, the male risk taker and the female’s strategic method of precognition combined are great business partners for obvious reasons.

Asking endless awkward questions is how we got here in the first place right? Age 2 1/2 the ‘why, why, why’ stage. So why not ask now? There is an old Jamaican song that states, “There are more, questions than answers, and the more that I find out, the less I know”. For me, every question opens a can of worms. I am generally a deep thinker, I think of everything possible to the point that people ask what I am thinking and why. Every experience is a learning curve and I have never been more self aware more than today.

Shout out to “Strong-Man” anonymously watching over us at work sitting next to the Num Lock!

]]>http://www.marshamothersill.com/dont-be-shy-be-sure-lifeskills/feed/0The AQ Projectshttp://www.marshamothersill.com/the-aq-projects/
http://www.marshamothersill.com/the-aq-projects/#respondThu, 12 Jan 2012 08:45:37 +0000http://www.marshamothersill.com/?p=592Read More]]>The AQ Projects was scheduled to launch late summer 2011 but has now been terminated for unforeseen circumstances. People have asked about AQ projects that was sneak peaked on my portfolio so I made sure to show you guys the semi-final template without WordPress but with HTML 5.

I was asked to create a piece about this Music Production company that helps raw talent in North London create music and themselves as individual or grouped artists. Talented musicians gain the chance to be recognised and be kick started in the music industry. With a lot of potential, The AQ Project was sadly terminated.

Design

I designed this piece with no resources, literally Photoshop and my graphics tablet. No images except the social media buttons. I needed to design something in what little time I had after work and within a few weeks and then develop the site over [after work] 4 weeks. I found it a challenge coming up with ideas after being so tired after work but managed to pull it together with something the client was delighted about. The theme was a notebook for all the information for the companies projects.

I drew post-its, sellotape and paper with binder rings to begin with and then added board pins and lastly designed the clients logo. They mentioned a Passport Stamp which is where I based that idea for The AQ Projects design.

Development

I was very passionate about this piece and couldn’t wait to bring the clients ideas to life. I instantly knew the main tools I would use which was HTML 5 Boilerplate,WordPress and JQuery. My biggest challenge was making sure the ringbinders met up once text elongated. Having to go back into design was a pain which I knew was bound to happen. I initially found my favourite font when I did this site and made sure I stated this is the font I would be using for this project.

Fin

It is a shame the project got so far just before launch and then had to be terminated as I wanted to see the final touch live. I have brought the site back to a template just for those who were waiting to see the final. You can find that live preview [home page only] version in a safe place.

I still feel it was necessary to show this as I designed and developed it as if it were my child. See you in the next…[waves]. The AQ Projects….

It’s that time of year again where I reflect on the year gone by and remember two great memories from 2011. It’s amazingly hard to summarize to just two as I feel I had a another fantastic year so I am going to break my rules slightly, [a lot].

Gaining so much from Cyber Duck Digital Agency last year. That experience taught me where I really wanted to go next in developing [WordPress]. Driving my new Car BB home for the first time was a huge thing. One week later, getting my job at Asos was epic!

I have to mention my weekender in Leeds and meeting new and exsisting friends in ’11. Getting to know my friend @ayumi_v4 on another level where I can truly say that she is a friend for life has been amazing!

Getting my job was the truly the highlight of my year. It has definatley changed my life enhancing it that little bit more. So when I say I am dying to go back to work, it is purely facts. I love the people I am surrounded by and catch joke with them daily! I always wake up happy to go to work and I constantly learning off my surroundings which has helped me build personal aspects of my life.

Health wise, I have definitely had it hard this year. This time last month I was seeing Orthopaedics for my knee. Trying to hop back in to work every minute made it worse and they were wise sending me home. 2 weeks unwell and 3 painful weeks off work and I was more than ready to start my own little inspiration library.

I became more girly than I ever have been and still a Tomboy at heart. In 2011 I discovered my mind was super powerful and I only attracted the love I focused on. So pure positivity came since that year. Launching my website was defiantly an “I can” moment which I will never forget! So much has happened this year to blog about but…